The Berlin Half: Week 8

After a very disappointing week of training last week, I had high hopes for Week 8.  My neck was still stiff, so I tried my best to pay attention to what my body was telling me.  That meant that my training deviated a bit from plan.  And then I came down with a cold on Friday.  Boo!  But before I get ahead of myself, let me share what my goals were:

  • 40-minute tempo run + upper body strength training
  • Core training
  • 4-mile run + lower body strength training
  • 10-mile run

In reality, the tempo run and the upper body strength training had to be dropped due to the neck, and my long run was dropped because of my cold.   But I did make sure to get some intensive core and leg strength training in there before I got sick.  So here’s what I accomplished:

  • 4-mile run. Since I worked from home one day this week, I decided to take advantage of my flexibility and go outdoors for a run in actual daylight.  (Okay, it’s Bremen, so it was more like dark clouds and drizzle, but still!)  It was a really nice relaxed run along the Weser River, which has me looking forward to the longer days of Spring so I can transition back into outdoor running. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it here, but it’s not the cold temperatures that drive me into the gym during the Winter (as evidenced in this post), but rather my dislike of running alone in the darkness.  I’ll be working from home in Berlin in the next couple weeks, so I hope to be doing more outdoor runs during the week.
  • Core strength training.  I did a revised version of this core workout from Bex Life.  I changed up some of the exercises to avoid pressure on the neck and shoulders.  Man, do I really need to work on my core.  I could only get through two repetitions, and the next day my stomach and sides hurt whenever I laughed or coughed!
  • Low body strength training.  I also based this off of a video from Bex Life, which I can’t find anymore to link to, but was basically full of squats and lunges.  I’ve come to the conclusion that this, along with the core workout, needs to be a part of my normal routine.

I’m getting kind of worried at this point since I only have four weeks left to train.  But I’m also considering the Hannover Half Marathon on May 6th, so maybe I’ll have to take it easy during the Berlin and push it in Hannover.  Anyway, let’s see how things develop, shall we?  I’m sleeping a ridiculous amount this weekend so that I can try to be back up and at ’em this coming week.  Cross your fingers for me, will you?

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4 comments

  1. Vanessa says:

    It’s hard having to miss long training runs. But there’s also no point in putting your body through it when it’s fighting off a virus. Hope you feel better soon! The Hannover Half will give you a second chance in case things don’t go as planned for Berlin. It happens. I’m going to check out the core workout at Bex Life. I did some short Pilates workouts over the weekend and am totally feeling it. I’ve really got to work on my core as well.

    • You’re so right, and I know logically that it makes totally sense to let my body recover — but I can’t help but feel a little panicky! That said, I’m feeling a whole lot better already and hope to launch back into things tomorrow.

  2. Emily says:

    Hope you feel better soon! You’ve still got time! But it is frustrating. Definitely crossing my fingers for you (and pressing my thumbs!). I’m going to have to check out the core workout!! I really need to work on my core as well.

    I’m so with you on spring coming so I can run outside again! I don’t like running in the dark either.

    • Thanks for the encouragement! Went for a great short run today — was able to run much faster without too much more effort. No idea how that happened, but I guess the rest was good for me. :)

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